Lumos
by AlwaysLupin
Summary: Raised by the Malfoys, proud Gryffindor - fighting her way through life like a true warrior. And believe me, she fights fierce.


_Hi! This idea's been in my head for awhile now, and I'm really so glad I've gotten around to writing it._

_Do give it a read and review! I would love to hear your thoughts on whether I should continue or no. Read on!_

* * *

"It would do you two well to protect the reputation of our family," Abraxas Malfoy stated to his foster daughters as the family waited at King's Cross Station. The twins were starting their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and they were particularly anxious about the Sorting.

"Follow in your brother's footsteps," Tabitha added, nodding towards her son. "Lucius has been an exemplary student so far and I expect the two of you to do as well as him."

"Yes, Mother," they chorused together. Disobedience was never heard of in the Malfoy household, no - and if their parents said they would be sorted into Slytherin, then surely the same would happen.

"_Ni pattarramaka irrukiraya_?**_(Are you nervous?)_**" Anantha whispered into Vasuki's ear.

"_Ninkal umaiya? Nikkayamaka nan! Itu nam valvin mika mukkiyamana neram, _Anu. **_(Are you dumb? Of course I am! This is the most important time of our lives, Anu.)_**"

"_Kari, kari, ippotu vayai mutu. _Lucius _varukiratu._ **_(Okay, okay, now shut up. Lucius is coming.)_**" The girls stood straighter as their brother approached them.

"I hope you know that you're going to wear the Slytherin crest on your robes and be proud of it," Lucius said in a commanding tone. "It's an honor to be part of the Malfoy family, so behave yourselves."

"Alright," Vasuki conceded. "You didn't have to worry about us, by the way. Anantha and I can take care of ourselves."

"I'm not two years older than you for nothing," Lucius remarked before walking off to find his friends. Vasuki scoffed at his back.

"_Muttal, __**(Idiot)**_" she muttered. "Older brothers are the worst." She said this with a little smile on her face - Vasuki had learned that her foster family weren't huge fans of affection, but they showed their love in the subtlest of ways, like when Lucius had grudgingly agreed to bake her a cake by hand on her birthday, or 'the Muggle way', as he called it.

"It's time for you to leave," Abraxas said, hands clasped behind his back. "Good luck." The girls offered him small smiles as they each hugged Tabitha.

"Behave yourselves," she warned, "and off you go. Be home for Christmas break," she added. Anantha laughed.

"We will!" she exclaimed before running behind Vasuki. Lucius only shook his head, platinum blonde hair covering the top of his forehead, as he started off towards the train.

* * *

Luckily, they had found a totally empty compartment, and the twins reveled in the silence that came with it.

"Do you think you'll be in Slytherin?" Vasuki asked Anantha, who was older than her only by four minutes. Anantha thought for a moment.

"Honestly? No," she replied. "But I do hope I will be, or Father will be so disappointed."

"Imagine being in Gryffindor," Vasuki mused. "Father said that they were all dirty scumbags - whatever that's supposed to mean."

"It means," a new voice interrupted, "that whoever said that was wrong." The girls stared at the intruder, who sported black glasses and ridiculously messy hair of the same color.

"Who are you?" Anantha asked. "And what gives you the right to decide if our father is right or wrong?" The boy smirked.

"Anyone who demeans Gryffindor is automatically wrong," he pronounced, leaning against the door. "Slytherin is for pureblooded wizards who don't give a damn about people around them."

"Isn't Gryffindor the one with all the stupidly reckless fools?" Vasuki shot back. The boy frowned.

"No, no... not really. The one with all the stupidly reckless fools is Hufflepuff, if you ask me, such try-hards those folks can be..." He made to leave, then turned around, grinning. "It's James Potter, by the way. And you two are...?"

"None of your business," Vasuki snapped. "Now leave."

"Gladly," James returned, sliding the door shut behind him.

Vasuki sighed.

* * *

Vasuki could feel the energy from the other jittery first-years in the Great Hall. She had never seen so many people in one place at the same time.

"Black, Sirius!" Vasuki thought she recognized the boy from somewhere...

"We've seen him before," Anantha confirmed. "At that huge party last year. He's the one with the three cousins, remember?" Of course Vasuki remembered - Narcissa and Bellatrix, who had been so hateful toward her, and kind, loving Andromeda.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius's expression turned up into a half-smile as he joined the cheering Gryffindors. Vasuki took note of Bellatrix's look of disgust and Narcissa's indifference from the Slytherin table.

"Chandan, Rahul!" Vasuki and Anantha watched as their favorite cousin walked up to the stool. The Malfoys had regularly let them visit their extended family, which really only consisted of their mother's side since their father was an only child. Of their four cousins, Rahul was by far their favorite - although that may have been due to the fact that he was the only one out of all of them who was their age.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"If I had a choice," Anantha whispered, "I would want to go into Ravenclaw." Vasuki could not agree more. Her sister was brilliant, much too intelligent for Slytherin, where she would outshine everyone else.

"Evans, Lily!" The red-haired girl radiated happiness, and it was hard not to smile along. _Hufflepuff_, Vasuki thought.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Lily leapt off the stool and hurried away as her tie changed to gold and a red color alike to that of her hair.

"When is she going to read our names off?" Anantha asked impatiently.

"In a bit," Vasuki replied. "Patience is a virtue, you know."

"Shut up." A small smile grew on Vasuki's lips as she nudged her sister back. _Siblings_, she thought. _The ultimate paradox. _

After a 'Lupin, Remus' was sent to Gryffindor and the cheers quieted down, the Sorting resumed.

"Nagarajan, Anantha!" Vasuki squeezed her sister's hand and smiled at her before letting it slip away. She watched her sister's curls bounce against her neck as she stepped up to the stool - her beautiful, perfect hair that Vasuki could not compare with her straight tresses.

A few seconds later, the declaration was made, and Anantha was sent to Ravenclaw. It wasn't what Abraxas had wanted, but Anantha looked so happy, her wide, carefree smile on display as she seated herself next to Rahul and unleashed her talkative nature. And really, their parents would be fine with it as long as they weren't made Hufflepuffs - or worse, Gryffindors.

"Nagarajan, Vasuki!" She felt all eyes on her, _Lucius's _eyes on her, as she prepared to be labeled for the rest of her life. Defined by a set of characteristics and a combination of colors, the basis of stereotype and prejudice.

She was told that the Hat would say something in her head, but the silence that came instead worried her. The atmosphere in the Hall slowly turned tense as the seconds ticked by, as the Hat sorted through her mind. Vasuki felt Professor McGonagall's normally calm face shift into one of apprehension as she glanced towards Dumbledore.

Exactly five minutes and twenty-three seconds later, Vasuki was Sorted into Gryffindor.

She saw, from the corner of her eye, Anantha and Rahul staring at her in shock. She felt more than saw Lucius's angry glare. There were claps; there were cheers, but the only thing Vasuki felt was a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach at the thought that _she_, raised in the House of Malfoy, would be sorted into Slytherin.

No matter how desperately she wished for it to be a bad dream, it wasn't and would never be. It was happening, it was real, and reality had reared its ugly head.

Branded. Labeled. Defined.

* * *

_So, how was it? Should I keep writing?_

_Anantha and Vasuki are Tamil, so I used a translator to write the Tamil since my mother tongue is Telugu. I hope I got it right - if any of y'all speak Tamil, feel free to correct me!_

_If you guys haven't already, check out my one shots and two in-progress works. _

_Shameless self-plugging, I know. I have no soul. I sold it to the devil a while go._

_Anyway, I won't keep y'all much longer. Drop a review, and have a lovely day! Winter is fast approaching, isn't it?_

_Love you guys x_

_-Vis_


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